just finished: I have been reading some kids’ books, and I have just finished Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year. It will be out later in June, and it is so charming! Ahmed and his family moves from Hawaii to Minnesota, where his dad grew up. The family is going through some struggles, but Ahmed keeps his head down and works hard at school despite a bully, a teacher who pushes her students to think and work harder than they ever had, a search through old school newspapers in the library, and (of course) that killer Minnesota winter weather. But he learns so much about himself and about who he wants to be, and the story is completely uplifting.

currently reading: I’m reading a couple more kids’ books, Wednesday Wilson Get Down to Business and Alice Fleck’s Recipe for Success. Wednesday is ambitious and ready to start her business empire. Alice is acting as sous chef for her father as he cooks in a competition. Both of these girls are filled with personality and ambition, and their stories are fun and charming. I’m pretty sure I’ll be recommending them both very soon. I’m also reading Last Chance Books, about an indie bookstore fighting to survive when a chain bookstore moves in across the street. But worse than that, Madeline’s crush turns out to be the son of the chain store’s owner and one of the managers at the opposing bookstore. Their fight-flirting is adorable, and I can’t wait to see where this story goes!

up next: The audio book of One Last Stop, from the author of Red, White, and Royal Blue. The buzz for this one is big, so I am excited! Also, I wasn’t able to score an early copy of Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick, but it came out last Tuesday, so it’s sitting there on my phone just waiting for me. I found Rudnick’s writing back in the mid 1990s, and I loved it all! SO I am really excited about this one and can’t wait to find the time to dive in!